Carr: you have to talk
FOREIGN Minister Bob Carr has urged Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to return to the negotiating table on a diplomatic visit to the region this week.
FOREIGN Minister Bob Carr has urged Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to return to the negotiating table on a diplomatic visit to the region this week.
Carr met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, Minister for Defence Ehud Barak, as well as PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Foreign Minister Riad Malik and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on the three-day whistlestop tour.
While in Jerusalem, Carr also met with former British prime minister and Quartet member Tony Blair.
“There can be no peace in this conflict without negotiations on a two-state solution with agreed national borders,” Carr said of the meeting.
“This was my message in discussions with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in recent days, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“And it was my message today in talks with Tony Blair.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that progress can be made.
“Israeli and Palestinian leaders have expressed in principle support for negotiations, in my discussions and in their talks with Mr Blair.”
At a meeting with the Israeli President, the Foreign Minister underscored the importance of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and called for the urgent resumption of dialogue.
During talks on bilateral and regional security, Carr said Australia was sympathetic to the unique challenges facing Israel, in particular the persistent threat of terror attacks. He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the recent suicide bombing in Bulgaria, which claimed the lives of five Israelis.
In a meeting with Malik, Carr also reportedly expressed concerns over continued Israeli activity in the settlements.
The upheaval in Syria was also on the agenda, with Peres and Carr united in their condemnation of the Assad regime. Both leaders deplored the state-sanctioned violence and noted the stress being placed on neighbouring Jordan, which is struggling to cope with an influx of refugees.
Talks between Carr and Netanyahu were dominated by Iran’s nuclear ambitions, with the Israeli PM warning that a nuclear Iran would spell disaster for the region and the world. “This is a regime that has broken every rule in the book,” Netanyahu said. “They very likely could use weapons of mass death.”
Carr also took the opportunity to raise concerns about the detention of Palestinian children in Israeli prisons with Barak. Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spoke with Israel’s chief military prosecutor back in July after an article in The Australian raised concerns about the detention of Palestinian minors.
The Foreign Minister also spruiked the federal government’s increase in aid to the Palestinian Authority.
“Australia is a major contributor to assistance for the Palestinian people with more than $300 million over five years to support the Palestinian Authority and United Nations agencies in delivering health, education and improved living standards in the Palestinian territories.”
Australia’s warm relationship with Israel was also discussed, with Carr highlighting the scope for bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest. He also acknowledged the strong contribution which the Australian Jewish community continues to make to Australia’s multicultural society.
ADAM KAMIEN
Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr (right) with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week. (Photo: Mati Milstein)
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